Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.

Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off. Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.

The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael couldn’t stand to watch this risky effort nine more times! He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of sight under the awning-planter, ready to help.

As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the concrete.. Safe and sound, he set it down it by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from that painful leap. (The momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to help her babies.)

One by one the babies continued to jump.. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a standstill. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving mother.

At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the San Antonio River , site of the famed "River Walk." The on-looking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers joined in. An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother’s approval, and loaded them in the container.. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the San Antonio River . The mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the way.

As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the water’s edge, Michael tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to the waiting mother after their adventurous ride.

All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.

At last, all present and accounted for: "We’re all together again. We’re here! We’re here!"

And here’s a family portrait before they head outward to further adventures…

Like all of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it alone without lots of helping hands. I think it gives the name of San Antonio ‘s famous "River Walk" a whole new meaning!

PORT ALLEN, La. — A virus has killed millions of crickets raised to feed pet reptiles and those kept in zoos.

The cricket paralysis virus has disrupted supplies to pet shops across North America as a handful of operators have seen millions of their insects killed.

Some operations have gone bankrupt and others have closed indefinitely until they can rid their facilities of the virus.

Cricket farms started in the 1940s as a source of fish bait, but the bulk of sales now are to pet supply companies, reptile owners and zoos, although people also eat some.

Most U.S. farms are in the South, but suppliers from Pennsylvania to California also raise crickets.

The virus had swept through European cricket farms in 2002. It was first noticed in 2009 in the U.S. and Canada.

The virus marks the latest in a recent series of mass animal deaths.

Blackbirds fell out of the sky on New Year’s Eve in Arkansas. In the days that followed, 2 million fish died in the Chesapeake Bay, 150 tons of red tilapia in Vietnam, 40,000 crabs in Britain and other places across the world.

However, biologists say these mass die-offs happen all the time and usually are unrelated.

Federal records show they happen on average every other day somewhere in North America.

I was listening to Dr. Waterman last evening with whistleblower Aaron McCollumand. Below are my notes for you to read and decide for yourself. This is is a little more political than I usually post here, but thought is was information we should all ponder and then decide for ourselves.

From the Waterman files blog talk radio (my notes). The guest was Aaron – a whistleblower. Listen to the first hour for his background info.

Celente says there are no more tricks financially – they have spend $38 T bailing out the banks.

Strange things are happening with the environment, animals, birds, fish, etc. The problems manifested in the first 6 months and then there is the event – the festival of enlightenment (see first hour for this info) to "save" people.

There have been several rumors about a pandemic on the Internet regarding the fish, birds, and other animals that are dying around the world. Yesterday saw an article about seals in UK with deep corkscrew cuts from head down.

Historically this has been recorded by mariners with the same image – before submarines.

I am not ruling out HAARP – haven’t done enough research but I will be contacting Brooks Agnew who is knowledgeable.

There was a rumor about mustard gas and phosgene saying that these were dispersed through chem trail spraying and there were reports that the Chinese knew it was it phosgene gas.

There was a report about blue ink on the birds which was an "indicator of gas poisoning".

Phosgene gas is volatile. It can be created by using refrigerant – if heated becomes phosgene gas.

Both phosgene and mustard gas are not prejudice – not one species of bird or fish. In a high concentration if it rains down and gets into stream – it will kill everything. In Arkansas – why weren’t the people affected? The people smelled nothing.

The military has been developing biological weapons – Plum Island , Dolce mountain and elsewhere.

There is a weapon which is not nuclear, but it could be labeled as a dirty bomb – biological chemical weapon.

Imagine a missile – dropped at high altitude – 50,000 to 75 k range – ignites in upper atmosphere and biological is introduced and attacks targets – certain genomes and otherwise known as ethic bomb certain species of birds or fish Taking this to another level, what if it were launched over populated area and people of African descent or Chinese descent were the target?

This is a theory that needs research, but this could be beta test. Animals that have been targeted are not endangered, so there was no problem with targeting these animals.

In regards to the genome project -they aren’t telling you that they have also databased the frequency for the DNA.

It could not be controlled biologically released or microbial form – frequency weapon – targeting what he is talking about Do you know they have patents on the parts of the genome 20% of your DNA is owned by someone else on my webpage – 3d form thewatermanfiles.com

There is another rumor other than the phosgene that corexit was the cause. Corexit is not discriminatory and would not kill only certain species. However, there has been a less publicized idea of a synthetic bacteria. The bacteria is called synthia created by man – computer programmed. Synthetic biology – organizations have taken it – BP and Exon Mobile funded and looked into this.

3 players – Synthetics Genomics, Inc, Synthetics Genomics Vaccines, Inc – Live Technologies and J. Craig Vettner Institute who created a synthetic cell – nothing more than nano technology Imagine you have cancer – they take a syringe and put synthia to you taken sample of your tumor & duplicate it and synthia attacks it – replicate it – those cells die off – now those cells – smart cells – inject to you – your cancer goes away and synthia cells take place of cancer cells sounds like a good idea, but when you privatize institute – military drools – we are interested – it becomes a weapon.

On the website – cell can be introduced into anything biological – fruit, vegetables, humans, synthia can take over Waterman – Remember Moche – biological – VW – swat teams – shot gas in his car – Synthia- programmed to counter gas attack – get a little fresh air – two canisters in a VW – didn’t bother him at all Synthia – full name – biological self replicating biological cell This is nothing more than a biocybernetic version of smart dust -Darpha created – smart dust.

I would not rule this out – imagine – plane -a truck showed up disguised as a Terminix truck and fumigate building and instead of chemicals it is a neutral agent such as smart dust to monitor all movement and frequencies – use synthia in a plane over a location – Synthia – introduced into cells – but not controlled in lab – it kills it.

Waterman:

We don’t know how these will morph. Organisms have a natural tendency to morph and adapt to environment.

Do you think this is accidental? no

Are these events around the world connected? yes

There is no chance because of mini ice age, because of glaciation. Our gov’t has not made a public statement addressing the issue of ice age

We are not seeing nature creating an event. It is not normal for this to be occurring.

Aaron:

From what I know and was a part of, I believe it is man made on some level. Maybe got out of control or not precisely executed or there were side effects.

This global beta test is likely the last thing on the check off list of the elites. Waterman – many things being researched and many things being talked about – right now – progressively worse – faster.

If you are headed toward a cliff – does it matter if you are going slow or fast? You are still going off the cliff.

Aaron – saying that an old tiger – most dangerous when he is near death – empires rise and fall.

It is in plain sight the elite are crashing. They are losing control of the people with riots all over the world.

The elites know their power is crumbling and they want control of the people.

If a king going to be killed – he is going to burn his castle and take it with him.

What we are seeing is the elite throwing out everything they have – an act of desperation.

This is one phase of an operation with many fronts to it. In 6 months you will feel it is more like a nightmare.

On August 14, the Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) assisted the Denton County Sheriff’s Office in the seizure of 77 emaciated Egyptian Arabian horses, all living on the Renazans Arabians ranch in Pilot Point, TX. The ASPCA, upon learning about the case, awarded a $10,000 grant to HSNT to help care for the rescued equines.

A few days prior to the seizure, a visitor to the 40-plus acre ranch discovered 17 starved horses standing in several inches of their own waste and immediately called the Denton County Sheriff’s Department. Upon arrival, officers found 60 more neglected horses scattered around the property, in back pastures and locked in barns. In addition to being starved, the horses suffered from soft, overgrown and split hooves and sores from lying in their own waste.

“The Humane Society of North Texas has shown an extraordinary commitment and dedication to animals in its community, and this instance is no exception,” says Julie Morris, ASPCA Senior Vice President of Community Outreach. “We are glad to be able to provide them with support in their time of need.”

The funds will also be used to aid the group’s ongoing equine and livestock investigations and rescues—over the past 18 months, HSNT has taken in more than 500 abused and neglected horses. HSNT’s successful adoption program has placed nearly all of these rescued horses into permanent, caring homes.

“The rescued horses have been healing and gaining weight,” reports Samantha Laos, a supervisor with HSNT. “They are calm and happy and not scared anymore.”

The owner of Renazans Arabians, Gordon Dennis Key, 66, has been arrested and charged with one count of animal cruelty. He could eventually face 77 counts—one for each horse—with each charge carrying a jail sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to $4,000. Key was also ordered to turn over all documentation for the horses and pay $5,000 in court costs, as well as all expenses for caring for the animals during their impound. He is currently free on $10,000 bail.

———-

Almost 400 Animals Rescued From Texas Property

A business that has been operating in Sunnyvale for more than 100 years was raided on Tuesday, with hundreds of livestock seized.

Kearney’s Feed Store, a long-standing family business, was run by Earnest Kearney, 76, who was arrested in the raid and now faces charges of animal cruelty. 105 chickens, 79 pigeons, 41 rabbits, 35 horses, 33 goats, 27 doves, 22 sheep, 16 turkeys, 9 ducks, 6 cattle, 4 potbellied pigs, 4 guineas, 2 geese, 2 mules and 1 donkey were seized from what was described as rescuers on the scene as “deplorable” and “cruel” conditions. The allegations of cruelty include confinement with inadequate freedom of movement and contamination of drinking water with feces.

The Texas Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has warned Kearney several times over the last few years, and they have now moved all of his livestock to their facility in McKinney after multiple anonymous complaints. A custody hearing on October 15th in Dallas will decide if the animals are to stay in the SPCA’s custody, in which case the animals will be nursed back to health and offered for adoption.

“Those businesses or individuals that profit through the sale of animals need to understand that the cruelty laws apply to them as well,” said SPCA of Texas President James Bias. “If these animals are found to be in an abusive situation, they can face not only having those animals removed, but also criminal charges.”

Ever wonder about the world’s largest land predator, how soon newborn whale calves are able to swim, or the little-known function of an elephant’s ears? While the answers might surprise and amuse you, it’s the adventure these questions pose that promises to be unforgettable. On April 22, you’re invited to experience an epic journey when Disneynature premieres “Earth,” the Company’s first wildlife film in over 60 years, continuing a legacy that began with Walt Disney’s Academy Award®-winning “True-Life Adventures.” Narrated by screen, stage, and television legend James Earl Jones, “Earth” reveals the seasonal struggles facing three animal families from the Arctic to Antarctica … and some of the planet’s most remote regions in between.

Acclaimed wildlife filmmaker/director Mark Linfield tells why he and director/partner Alistair Fothergill chose polar bears, humpbacked whales, and elephants as their endearing main stars. “One thing that unites every being on the planet is the sun and its annual north-south journey. We wanted to document three animals that embark on incredible migrations due to the influence of the sun’s extreme seasonality … and these are large, engaging animals that we felt people could relate to. As the moviemaking went on, it became clear to us that we wanted a very subtle reference toward the future and conservation, which is why they had calves or cubs. Many of us have little ones and we’re always thinking of what the world will be like for them and their children. Most of the animals’ dramas are driven by their quest to protect their infants and get the best out of the planet for their offspring … nature truly writes the most amazing scripts.”

To record “true” true-life adventures, there’s one thing Mark and his team couldn’t change, accelerate, or follow with a script — the erratic schedule of nature itself. He points out, “You’re lucky if the animals show up at all. Most days we didn’t see anything, that’s almost the law … the only way to stack the odds in your favor is to spend huge amounts of time in the field. We spent 2,000 days filming with 40 different crews in 26 different countries. It took about five years to make and we filmed solidly for three of those years … it was just a big logistical exercise, but that’s what it takes. Movies like this are powerful partly because it’s the simple truth.” Mark also explains that natural history actually translates better on the big screen because some of the up-close realism is lost when viewed on television.

Larger than life, the animals’ determined battle against the elements is amazing, entertaining, and ultimately heartrending. Extreme weather conditions from pole to pole presented unique, and nearly impossible, filming challenges. “Just look at the environments that our three characters live in … like the polar bear. We’re actually in the middle of the with crews working in 40-degree-below-zero temperatures. It’s so unbelievably cold that most of the time the equipment barely works or the tripod sticks to your fingers. Daylight was like five or six minutes long, which means it was dark the rest of the time. Polar bears are hugely influenced by the seasonality of the sun — half their year is spent in absolute darkness while the other half produces 24-hour daylight,” says Mark. The team was the first ever to be given access to the Kong Karls Land polar bear denning site in Norway, 700 miles south of the North Pole.

Conditions proved no easier when the crew was filming the elephants in Botswana, the Sahara and Kalahari Deserts, and Namibia’s sand dunes, some of the largest in the world. “We worked in unbelievable heat, dust, and sandstorms … without water. The elephants aren’t affected from changes in daylight, but the sun drives the wet and dry seasons, forcing them to undertake huge migrations — their quest to finally find water hundreds of miles away at the Okavango Delta is pretty dramatic.” From helicopters, gyro-stabilized Cineflex aerial cameras allowed filmmakers to track the animals without disturbing them in their natural environment.

“For the humpbacked whales, we filmed from a boat at sea, sometimes in a helicopter, through storms and a huge range of conditions,” he continues. “The mother whale and her calf travel 4,000 miles south, from the Equator’s tropical waters to the Antarctic Sea … it’s the longest journey of any marine mammal.” During the course of filming, the crew was able to feature dozens of marine costars, including schools of sailfish and a great white shark … the footage is nothing short of spectacular.

The journey, as always, proved fantastic for Mark, who doesn’t hesitate when asked about his most memorable moment. “Filming the elephants caught in the sandstorm … it was totally unexpected. Just watching them trapped in a sandstorm, trying to battle the elements while looking after their calves, was very sad and emotional for me.”

He then comments on his expectations for the film. “I hope people will fall in love with the Earth and basically see how much there still is to care about. Everything in the movie is available and can be saved. I hope people realize it’s not futile, it’s not too late … we have an absolutely amazing planet.”

Save a Life…Adopt Just One More…Pet!

Everyday we read or hear another story about pets and other animals being abandoned in record numbers while at the same time we regularly hear about crazy new rules and laws being passed limiting the amount of pets that people may have, even down to one or two… or worse yet, none.

Nobody is promoting hoarding pets or animals, but at a time when there are more pets and animals of all types being abandoned or being taken to shelters already bursting at the seams, there is nothing crazier than legislating away the ability of willing adoptive families to take in just one more pet!!

Our goal is to raise awareness and help find homes for all pets and animals that need one by helping to match them with loving families and positive situations. Our goal is also to help fight the trend of unfavorable legislation and rules in an attempt to stop unnecessary Euthenization!!

“All over the world, major universities are researching the therapeutic value of pets in our society and the number of hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and mental institutions which are employing full-time pet therapists and animals is increasing daily.” ~ Betty White, American Actress, Animal Activist, and Author of Pet Love

There is always room for Just One More Pet. So if you have room in your home and room in your heart… Adopt Just One More! If you live in an area that promotes unreasonable limitations on pets… fight the good fight and help change the rules and legislation…

Save the Life of Just One More…Animal!

Recent and Seasonal Shots

As I have been fighting Cancer… A battle I am gratefully winning, my furkids have not left my side. They have been a large part of my recovery!! Ask Marion

Photos by the UCLA Shutterbug are protected by copyright, Please email at JustOneMorePet@gmail.com or find us on twitter @JustOneMorePet for permission to duplicate for commerical purposes or to purchase photos.

By JoAnn, Marion, and Tim Algier This past week, we lost our dear family member Rocky who had just outlived his “huep – na-napbdad”, Tom, by just a few months. His perspective would have been interesting!! Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been […]

By JoAnn, Marion, and Tim Algier This past week, we lost a dear family member, Rocky, who had just outlived his “human pet-dad”, Tom, by just a few months. It certainly would have been interesting to know what they thought and what experiences they had had in common!! Just this side of heaven is a […]

Bristol Palin: Fellow SixSeeds blogger Zeke Pipher has a great question: If they were dead puppy parts, or parts from homosexual babies, or babies that self-identified as adults, it’d be a different story. Meaning, it would be a story. But as it is, the fact that these fetuses don’t look like puppies, and their sexual […]

Family and friends of G.R. Gordon-Ross watch his private fireworks show at the Youth Sports Complex in Lawrence, Kan., Friday, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner) Mercury News – Originally posted on July 02, 2013: The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. Hot dogs, potato salad and, of course, fireworks. But Independence […]

Very few dogs have the experience of being parents these days and especially seeing their litters through the process of weaning and then actually being able to remain part of a pack with at least part of their family. Apachi is our Doggie Dad. He is a Chiweenie and here he is is watching his […]

By Marion Algier – Just One More Pet (JOMP) – Cross-Posted at AskMarion Anderson Cooper met Chaser, a dog who can identify over a thousand toys, and because of whom, scientists are now studying the brain of man’s best friend. Chaser is also the subject of a book: Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog […]

By Tamara – Dog Heirs – Cross-Posted at JOMP Quebec, Canada – Animals will be considered “sentient beings” instead of property in a bill tabled in the Canadian province of Quebec. The legislation states that "animals are not things. They are sentient beings and have biological needs." Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis proposed the bill and […] […]

Flickr Photos

Meta

Great Book for Children and Pet Lovers… And a Perfect Holiday Gift

One More Pet
Emily loves animals so much that she can’t resist bringing them home. When a local farmer feels under the weather, she is only too eager to “feed the lambs, milk the cows and brush the rams.” The farmer is so grateful for Emily’s help that he gives her a giant egg... Can you guess what happens after that? The rhythmic verse begs to be read aloud, and the lively pictures will delight children as they watch Emily’s collection of pets get bigger and bigger.

If You Were Stranded On An Island…

A recent national survey revealed just how much Americans love their companion animals. When respondents were asked whether they’d like to spend life stranded on a deserted island with either their spouse or their pet, over 60% said they would prefer their dog or cat for companionship!